Telemachus tries it first, to set an example, but he can't even string the bow. The suitor Leodes tries the bow and fails: it is too stiff to bend. Other suitors lack the strength to string it as well.

Is Telemachus able to string his father's bow?

It is true that it is a struggle for him, as he fails to string the bow on his first three attempts, but The Odyssey is clear that he would have successfully strung it on the fourth try if Odysseus hadn't stopped him.

Why does Telemachus stop stringing the bow?

Why does Odysseus stop Telemachus from stringing the bow? The suitors would leave, ruining the plan to kill them. ... Odysseus wants a chance to string the bow.